Best West Virginia Sports Betting Sites 2020

If you are living or visiting West Virginia and you are looking to place sports bets, you are in luck! You can now place sports bets online on licensed platforms when you are in the state. You have plenty of different options also available to you.

Are there Legal Online Sportsbooks in West Virginia? Yes!

West Virginia was very quick off the mark following the ending of the federal ban on sports betting. With the ban coming to an end in May 2018, it was in August that year that West Virginia had its first open sportsbooks. It was also the fifth state in the nation to pass legislation legalizing sports betting.

For a number of months, the West Virginia sports betting space was only for retail sportsbooks. However, it was that December that lawmakers gave approval for the legalization of online sports betting.

After doing so, this made it the third state in the entire nation to have online sports betting. While it took a while to iron out some kinks in the online sportsbooks in West Virginia, it is like a well-oiled machine these days.

Beginning of legal sports betting

A couple of the online sportsbooks operating in the state had to close due to various issues. One of these sportsbooks was not able to do anything when its technology partner had a disagreement with one of its vendors, forcing the platform to close.

However, from the summer of 2019 onwards, more online sportsbooks opened in West Virginia. Big names in the sports betting space started to enter the state, giving West Virginia residents a lot of comfort that their sports bets would be confirmed without having to deal with any other potential issues about the future of a given platform.

This West Virginia sports betting review will look at these leading online sportsbooks that you can check out. Each of the leading operators has their platform’s thoroughly reviewed, ensuring that no stone is left unturned in providing you the most accurate and useful info. This will ultimately allow you to confidently select an operator for your online sports betting needs.

Note: Online sports betting provides you with so much convenience when compared to having to go to a retail location in order to place sports bets. You will also get regular access to all different types of lucrative promotions, rewards programs and become part of a great community of sports bettors.

What Methods are Used to Review the Best West Virginia Online Sportsbooks?

With more and more entrants into the West Virginia online sports betting market, it is important to judge each of these platforms to see where they stand out and where they might fall down.

It is important that all operators are assessed by looking at the same variables, as this means you can easily compare them with one another. There are some of the important variables that are looked at when assessing the merits of sportsbooks:

Competitiveness of odds

Selection of sports and markets

Quality of the live betting offering

Ease of use of the site

Level of promotions and welcome bonus

Variety of payment methods

Platform’s reputation

Availability of the customer support

Best 3 West Virginia Online Sportsbooks in 2020:

1. DraftKings - Ticks All of the Boxes

DraftKings has long been a leader in the daily fantasy sports space and it is now becoming a major force in the sports betting sector in the US. It has operations in many different states, including in West Virginia. It is partnered in Charles Town with the Hollywood Casino.

With the DraftKings offering, you can place bets either through a desktop or through your mobile device. There are dedicated apps for iOS and Android users, as well as having the ability to place bets through your mobile’s web browser. The entire interface on both desktop and mobile is very streamlined.

While the color scheme allows all of the text to nicely pop out and you are not overwhelmed with too much information, the site design itself is very basic. There are no animations or frills that have been added. Everything is functional and part of the site for a reason.

There is a great selection of different sports that are supported on DraftKings. You also have a great variety of different markets. You will have a betting carousel that will be optimized depending on your betting habits, showcasing your favorite markets and sports to allow you to quickly see potential opportunities you may be interested in.

You have a great variety of betting types and you can even place wagers for as low as $0.10, which is a lot lower than most of the competition. For those fans of live betting, there is a nice interface that will in real-time give you updates to the given game and the markets. You can check out the commentary for a lot of these games, with graphics also being a key part of the live betting section.

As well as traditional fixed-odds betting, there are regular predictor competitions and pool betting options that you can try out in order to do something a bit different than usual. For new users at DraftKings, there are a couple of different parts to the welcome offer. You can have your first deposit matches 20%, up to a max bonus of $500. You can also get a risk-free bet on your first wager of up to $500. These offers are ideal for all types of players. There are also regular promotions that change regularly, giving nice bonuses and price boosts to those people already using the platform.

The customer support team is available on a 24/7 basis, there is a great list of payment options and the site has a great reputation. Overall, the DraftKings offers everything you could ever want and then more from a sports betting offering.

FanDuel has been a long-time competitor to DraftKings and it is also a part of the online sports betting sector in West Virginia. It is partnered in the state with the Greenbrier and it has a website that is a lot more modern looking.

The design is a lot fresher and easy on the eye, with an icy color scheme creating an exciting effect when you are placing your bets. The navigation system is very good, with all of the key sections labeled, some of which are accompanied by graphics for even easier recognition.

The selection of sports and markets is about on a par with that of DraftKings. Its main focus is on the leading US sports, but it still caters to smaller sports and events. You will never be short of a bet type, particularly for the larger games that will have more than a hundred different markets to choose from.

There is a live betting section that is nice and crisp. You can see graphics of what is happening in a given game and there is usually a very little suspension of markets, allowing you to quickly place bets as you please during the course of a game. There is an app for FanDuel for both iOS and Android devices. This is a slick app that functions in a very similar manner to the desktop platform.

For those people who are looking to sign up for a new account with FanDuel, you will be able to avail of a welcome package. These new players can get a $500 risk-free bet on your first wager. Therefore, you get a mulligan when you place this wager. Regular bettors also will be able to benefit from the ever-changing promotions. Oftentimes, these promos are in the form of insurance or free bet offers.

If you ever have a question, the FAQ section at FanDuel is one of the best around. You can also contact the support team on matter what day of the week or day it may be. There are plenty of popular payment options and the processing speeds are about average for the industry.

Overall, the FanDuel sportsbook in West Virginia really gives the DraftKings offering a good run for its money. You will not go wrong with signing up for an account on FanDuel.

The BetMGM sportsbook is powered by one of the leading gambling companies in the world, MGM Resorts. It has a platform in the online sports betting space in a number of countries and it is always looking at new ways to innovate.

The design of the BetMGM online sportsbook in West Virginia is very quaint. It has a nice black, gold and white color scheme that is very smart. The navigation system has been condensed, so only the most important sections are highlighted. You will be hard-pressed to find a site that is easier to navigate around and the speed levels are also decent.

All major sports are well-catered for, with many more sports also having markets on offer. You can quickly add certain markets to our favorites, allowing you to quickly access these opportunities as you see fit. All of the usual types of markets are available for the majority of the sports that have been listed.

The live betting offering may not be as polished as those seen with the likes of DraftKings and FanDuel. However, it still does a decent job of displaying all of the key information and offering a decent array of different betting markets. You do have the ability to also cash out early from a bet. You may want to cut your losses or cash in on some of your profits before a given game has already finished.

Bettors that sign up for an account with the BetMGM online sportsbook in West Virginia will get access to a welcome offer. This will see your first bet being a risk-free one for up to $500. If your first bet is a loser, your stake will be given back to you in the form of free bets. There are also some great promotions that cater to existing bettors. For example, when you meet the qualifying terms, you can get a free $10 bet every Monday.

There is a BetMGM app for Android and iOS users that is simple and gets the job done. The customer support can be a bit iffy at times, but they generally can quickly resolve any issues you are having. All common payment options are supported and as the BetMGM name is well-respected, you can trust the platform with your funds.

Overall, while the BetMGM offering may not be as polished as some of the others in West Virginia, it is still a very viable option for your sports betting needs, particularly due to the great rewards program you can partake in.

What Are You Waiting For?

West Virginia has a number of top-quality online sportsbooks to choose from and this list is regularly growing. Some of the leaders in the US sports betting space have platforms in the state, giving residents plenty of options.

It is hard to go wrong when you are trying to select one of these sportsbooks to sign up to. Their offerings are fairly even. You can always sign up for an account with each of them if you cannot decide on just one. While you are not allowed to open multiple accounts with the same sports betting operator, there is no rule in place stopping you from opening accounts with different operators.

If you want to stick with one, then consider what is most important to you about a sportsbook. Do you like certain types of markets that only some sportsbooks may offer? Are there certain types of payment methods that must be supported?

By asking yourself a few of these simple questions, you will be able to quickly narrow down the different options that you are facing in the West Virginia sports betting market.

Important Rules to Remember

While online sports betting has become more and more popular across the United States, there are still rules that you need to remember. These generally will also vary from state to state. InWest Virginia, anyone placing a sports bet has to be at least 21 years old. Naturally, you need to be physically located in West Virginia when using the sportsbooks and placing bets. Otherwise, you will not be able to place your wagers.

Finally, an important step is to verify your online sports betting account. This requires you to upload a copy of your photo ID, such as a driver’s license, as well as some form of proof of address, such as a utility bill. This ensures that you comply with the necessary rules and regulations that are applied to sports betting operations. This process is very quick to do.

FAQs

How many online sportsbooks will open in West Virginia?

There very will could be more sports betting operators entering the West Virginia space in the near future. The five casino license holders in the state can deal with three operators each for separate online sportsbooks.

Are there other types of legal gambling in West Virginia?

The majority of gambling options are not legal currently in West Virginia. You can partake in the state lottery and there are a number of casinos that have table games and slot machines. However, online casinos and online poker are not currently legal.

Are there any restrictions on sports betting in West Virginia?

There is a decent selection of sports and markets that you can wager on in West Virginia. However, the rules currently prohibit you from placing wagers on events involving high schools and those esports tournaments where there are players participating who are underage.

What is the best type of welcome bonus in West Virginia?

The optimal bonuses will depend on the given bettor. Some people like no deposit bonuses because there is no need to put real money on the line in order to receive the bonus. Others like to avail of large deposit bonuses, particularly when they are high rollers and depositing large sums at a time.

How do the online sportsbooks know that you are in West Virginia?

There is a geolocation feature integrated into all online sportsbooks in West Virginia that can identify whether you are in the state or not. This feature only activates when you are using a given sports betting app. Therefore, once you cross state lines this will be recognized instantly.

About Andrew

Andrew has been writing about the gambling industry for more than five years, covering everything from sports betting to casinos and poker. With the sector constantly evolving, he loves nothing better than staying up to date with the latest movers and shakers in the space.